Beyond Reality
by Natalina
Summary: Kasumi Katsuo died unexpectedly on her way to school on November the 5th 2000. Because of this Kasumi was given a choice: Rebirth or face an eternity floating in darkness.
1. Chapter 1

Title: A Journey Past Reality

Summary: Kasumi Katsuo died unexpectedly on her way to school on November the 5th 2000. Because of this Kasumi was given a choice: Rebirth or face an eternity floating in darkness.

Prologue

"Kasumi dearest! Wake up or you will be late for school!"

Kasumi Katsuo groaned and rolled around, thus landing on the cold wooden floor. Sitting up she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and tried to get up falling a few times trying. Rubbing her behind she set her course for the bathroom down the hall.

Ten minutes later she was out the door, a half eaten sandwich between her teeth trying to get into her uniform jacket. Grey skirt, white t-shirt, grey jacket, and a red tie. The school board didn't have that much fantasy, let alone fashion taste.

As Kasumi passed a store she saw that someone was having a birthday party in there.

"Happy 5th Kumiko!" a proud mother said and kissed her daughters forehead.

'Fifth!' Kasumi thought and groaned. Today was the day for the math test, that she hadn't studied for!

She started to run. If she came early it might be time to have at least half an hour of hard studying before math class.

Turing a corner she heard someone screaming. This caused Kasumi a moment of thought. Math test or helping whoever had screamed? Oh HECK WITH IT! Turing around she ran towards the sound. The shop she had seen the happy family in was engulfed in flames. The shop keeper was busy keeping the mother back.

"My baby is in there! Kumiko, I have to get her!"

"It's too dangerous miss! You can't go in there!"

Kasumi ran through the chaos and into the building faintly behind her she heard someone scream "Stop that girl before she gets killed too!"

Kasumi continued through the house towards Kumiko's voice. The heat was intense. She inhaled smoke and almost choked, but continued. Eventually she reached little Kumiko. She couldn't be more than 4-5 years old. Kasumi pulled the little girl close to her and started to run for the exit.

The flames had started to engulf the entrance now. Kasumi picked the little girl- Kumiko? - and ran all she had. But she saw the roof was starting to cave in. As if in slow motion she almost threw Kumiko out the door. Then the roof fell over her.

For a moment, all Kasumi could feel or see was the heat and flames, but then it was as if it didn't matter anymore and her world turned black.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Kasumi felt, more then saw, her world floating by. He mother telling her how proud she was over her first A in school… her dad's funeral… her last grandmother's funeral… the news that her elder sister had lost her first child… her friends in school… Kumiko's birthday… and then … the fire.

"Now, now dear open your eyes."

Slowly opening her eyes Kasumi faced a wondrous sight. If this was heaven it wasn't puffy and white clouded that everyone thought of when they thought 'Heaven'. It looked as if you walked on a floor of glass, the 'floor' was divided into many squares depicting, not down at earth, but many, many worlds. The one she was looking down on now was showing a scene where a giant fox was terrorizing a village.

Tearing her eyes away from the floor she looked at the person who had spoken. It was an old, kind looking lady. She had the same aura as you expect to find around your own grandma.

"Who are you? Where am I?" Kasumi blinked rapidly thinking that she had just lost her mind.

"Well dear, I suppose I am who you would call a death god. Or to be exact, one of them." She showed to the floor.

"Every world has several death gods receiving and sending souls. You see every soul have to go through a round tour through every world; one life in every world."

"Okay. I can understand that." Kasumi said now thinking that this was some sick dream.

"Now dear. Since you died early in your last world; you can have the generous choice of choosing if you want to pass on into darkness and rest for infinity, or you can pass on, beyond reality."

"Pass on beyond reality?"

"Yes dear. An entirely new sequence of worlds- the one you came from was called Reality. We have around 5000 different sets of roundtrip worlds. The one you have the possibility to be reborn in is called 'Beyond Reality.' This is the alternative for Reality." We give people who have died unfortunately, or too early the choice to be reborn there just as we give people with the same type of death a chance in Reality."

"I think I'll take the rebirth in the beyond thingie." Kasumi stated fast. She didn't exactly like the idea of resting in infinity. Besides; she had a weak phobia for darkness. And what harm could it be? This was just some sick dream from her fantasy anyway.

"Very well my dear. Now for erasing your memories…"

"NO! Please, please, anything but that!" The old death god-grandma sighed.

"You are going to regret it sweetheart."

"Please don't take my memories!"

"Very well then. But remember you chose this."

She turned around and bent down over the picture of the scene with the fox. For a moment it almost looked like something fought the fox…

Then once again she floated into darkness.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Hope you enjoyed! Next chapter will be up tonight. Feel free to review and tell me your honest opinion- though please keep in mind that though this is a well explored idea, it was just something my strange fantasy told me, and it might not fascinate you as much as me.

Thank you many times for reading!

Nat-tia


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter one: Birth and Growth

Disclaimer: No I do not own Naruto. Or my own mind. Be frightened.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Through the ear ringing silence Kasumi suddenly heard someone screaming, and started to do so herself. Then a blinding light fell over her eyes.

"She's beautiful!" someone gasped. She was placed on some giant's chest. I mean who had a large enough chest for a sixteen year old to lie comfortably?

"You should rest Tsunade-Sama."

"Wait Shizune! Don't…" Kasumi felt herself being lifted from the chest where she had been resting. Gone were the comfortable position and the pleasant smell. She started to cry without thinking about it. Another pair of hands got a grip around her and put her down again. Kasumi immediately stopped crying.

"Very well Tsunade-Sama. But what will you call her?"

"Hmm… what about… Kumiko?" Kasumi's heart skipped a beat. What was happening! They were NAMING her!

"Kasumi." She tried to say. But it was hard getting sounds out and it ended up like 'cushumi' instead.

Dead silence.

"Kasumi? Yes I believe that is perfect… Good choice Shizune!"

"But Tsunade-Sama…. I didn't"

However it seemed this 'Tsunade' had fallen asleep. In Kasumi's head it sounded as if a thousand busy bees were swirling about at once and she found herself tired and fell asleep as well.

It had passed several days since Kasumi's 'birth'. During which time she had found out a lot of things, like that her 'mother' was targeted by many people, that Kasumi herself was reduced to baby stage, and that her 'sister/aunt' Shizune had a strong disliking for baby cries.

She had faced the many horrors like breast-feeding and diapers. Had been carried about in a bag and left in public _TWICE_. And yet she was just two weeks old. The Kasumi inside was starting to miss her old life and her old mom. But she was also so extremely curious to this new world and already loved it.

Kasumi had now turned 5 and could talk very well for her age. She hadn't told anyone about her memories and kept them mostly to herself.

"Mommy?" Kasumi was walking alongside Tsunade as they were heading to a new city.

"Yes?"

"The town you are from, Kowoha, can we go there?"

"KoNoha Kasumi. And why would you want to go there?" Tsunade's face was tight and expressionless.

"Because I want to become a medic ninja!" She said and laughed for no particular reason.

Tsunade contemplated this for several minutes.

"Very well then Kasumi. But I warn you it will be tough!" Kasumi sent Tsunade her biggest puppy eyes and Tsunade's face softened.

"Tsunade-Sama! Kasumi!" Kasumi turned around joyously to see Shizune come trotting out from ahead where they had been heading.

"Shizune!" Kasumi shouted joyously.

"I'm going to become a Shinobi!" (Means the same as Ninja.) Shizune looked worriedly up at Tsunade who shook her head warningly.

Inside Kasumi was bubbling with excitement. She knew Tsunade had been a Shinobi and that she was wickedly strong.

But for a five year old she wasn't too bad herself. She could use minor ninjutsu, run very fast (for her short legs that is) and perform one or two genjutsu. Her mother was harsh in her training.

When Kasumi and her mother and Shizune arrived in Konoha Tsunade left Kasumi with Shizune to find somewhere to live while Tsunade herself would go and enroll Kasumi into the academy and meet with the Hokage.

Once Shizune and Kasumi had found an apartment Tsunade showed up with a bright smile. It turned out she had immediately been given the position as the head of the Shinobi medic team. The enrollment of Kasumi had also gone well and she was to start already the next day.

Title of next Chapter: My first day at the academy!

I know my chapters aren't long, but I promise that there instead will be rapid updates!

Please review, and thank you for reading!

Nat-tia


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Two: My first day at the academy!

Disclaimer: as stated in previous chapter, I do not own Naruto, or his world for that matter. I however recently regained ownership of my own mind. And I own Kasumi, old lady-death god, Kumiko and every one from the 'real' world. And my version of after life. And I own my precious tea cup with everything within it. Okay, Okay my parents own the spoon but the tea is MINE!

Note: I have taken the tough decision to have a story where most of the rookies are pretty central, but Ino for example will be pretty much losing half of her role in this, seeing Kasumi and Sakura will be best friends etc.

Kasumi awoke the next morning and rolled over, thus falling on the cold wooden floor. 'Old habits die hard I guess.' Kasumi thought while getting up, failing and trying again.

When she finally accomplished the deed of getting her behind of the floor she set her course for the bathroom. She sighed as she undid her braid- her old long hazel hair and green eyes were gone. They were replaced with strangely dark eyes and blond hair. Something that was almost disturbing. The change she DIDN'T regret however was her plump waistline being eliminated. (She is talking about changes from her old life to her new life not from just that morning!)

Most of these changes, she reckoned came from Tsunade. But Tsunade had blue eyes, while Kasumi's were black.

She shrugged it off. She had yet to ask for her father, and it was not like she was going to start now. She had survived just fine without a father in her last life, so why start getting interested now?

She went back to her room, or more correctly her and Tsunade's room. Since there only was one bedroom, Kasumi and Tsunade sheared that one while Shizune slept on the couch. There only were three rooms; the bathroom, kitchen/living room, and the bedroom. It was amazing three woman were able to coexist peacefully in an apartment meant for one person.

Well, Kasumi IS Tsunade's daughter after all, but add on Shizune and it IS amazing.

For her first day on the academy Tsunade had afforded a new costume for her.

"For my little Kunoichi!" she had said happily.

It was a green long-sleeved top and a pair of dark blue pants. So Kasumi changed her usual sand colored sun dress with them and immediately felt very grown-up.

Things like that started to happen more and more. She had virtually forgotten she was actually about twenty now and not a five year old, but some memories remained. Like her old mothers voice. It had been two years since she could see her face clearly.

Kasumi sighed and dropped her arms. She was quickly fired up about going to the academy however, and shouted to Tsunade to wake up so she could leave for the academy.

Tsunade sighed and stood up. She supposed she'd have to walk her everyday now to the academy. Just lovely. She got up and prepared not long after that they were on their way to the academy.

Kasumi was almost skipping along looking forewords to going to school again. Shizune had taught her to read and write while Tsunade was out gambling, and while Kasumi read pretty well, her handwriting was terrible.

"Look, Kasumi" said Tsunade. Kasumi snapped out of her thoughts and followed Tsunade's finger. It was pointed at one of the huge stone faces. The first one.

"That is your great-grandfather, the first Hokage and the founder of Konoha."

"Wow!" She said, not too intelligently as she stared up at the huge stone face and innocently added:

"He has a REALLY big nose." That made Tsunade laugh and they continued and soon reached the academy.

Once they reached the outside of the classroom Tsunade kissed her child goodbye and was off for her work.

Entering Kasumi saw that she was third in. a boy with black hair was sleeping on the back row; a girl with purple hair and pale eyes was staring out of the window no the fourth row; and girl with pink hair and was writing on the first row.

Kasumi sat down beside her. "Hello, I'm Kasumi and I'm starting today!" She smiled and extended a hand to the girl. For a moment the girl looked around her to see if she meant someone else, but eventually took her hand and whispered "I'm Sakura."

Kasumi smiled. "You have my favorite name lucky person!" Sakura smiled shyly back. She really did seem quite shy for some reason. But before Kasumi could ask, the classroom was almost full and the teacher walked in.

"Good morning everyone"

"Good morning Iruka-Sensei…" The class chanted back. (Annoying ritual I had to follow until sixth grade x.x)

"As many of you undoubtedly know, we have a new student today! Come down here Kasumi, and tell us a little about yourself."

Kasumi blushed. Talking to one person she didn't know was okay but speaking to a room full… She stood up and went to the front of the room.

"Um… my name is Kasumi and I'm five years old. This is my first time really living anywhere, as until now I have been traveling to many places with auntie Shizune, and my mom, Tsunade. I've wanted to become a medic shinobi since I found out my mom was one." Kasumi said with the typical 'I have practiced this over and over in my head' voice all the while fidgeting with the sleeve of her shirt.

"Thank you Kasumi, you may go sit down again." Kasumi left the front hastily glad to be out of the spot light.

"Today the boys will be doing endurance practice while the girls will go with their sensei to do infiltration practice. The girls cheered while the boys groaned.

"Then we will all meet up here to practice our chakra molding. Sakura will you look after Kasumi and make sure she knows what to do?" Sakura nodded, and the girls left for presumably another classroom. However when they reached there the sensei was waiting outside the door.

"This way girls. We will be outside today." Kasumi smiled. Infiltration practice outside would be fun. Once outside the sensei told them that the harsh training was going to render them unlike any civilian girl, and that was the reason for infiltration training. They had to be able to act like any other girl. Today's topic was flower arrangement. Kasumi was having slight problems as all the stalks were different lengths. But Sakura was having more problems. As she was struggling to find nice flowers and find out where in her bunch of flowers to put them some older girls appeared and started to call her forehead and push her around. Kasumi immediately dropped her flowers and ran over there.

"What are you doing to Sakura?" She asked in her most innocent tone. This seemed to confuse the girls slightly as they racked their brains for a comeback.

"n-none of your business little girl!" the eldest one said.

Kasumi smiled evilly. This was quite disturbing on the face of a five year old.

"No? Well okay then. Come Sakura, these people are so dim witted they don't deserve your presence." For the rest of the class Sakura and Kasumi had fun picking flowers and somehow found a way to put them in neat bouquets. At the end of the lesson they both received top mark.

During chakra lesson Kasumi did okay, but most of the other was much ahead of her. During target practice she was completely off, but when it came time for literature and research on other nations she and Sakura seemed to be on top of their class.

At the end of the day Kasumi left smiling and happy, and looking forewords to the next day, even thought it was the girl's turn to have endurance practice.

Well, it is a late update, but I was forced to go shopping, so I had to walk half an hour to reach the train station, then take ten minutes with train and walk fifteen minutes to get to the shop and then do the same back again, only having to carry three bags of food and drink. Ugh. So when I came back I was completely exhausted, and I still had to clean my room and walk my dog so I simply didn't have time. But here you have a rapid update, and a longer chapter . please review if you feel like it, I answer all the reviews. But thank you so much for reading!

Nat-tia


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter three: Graduation and my first day as a Genin.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or his world, but I do own… um… my hair!

Note: This chapter is dedicated to everyone whom has reviewed and whom are about to review. Oh yeah, and what you should get used to is the fact that I ALWAYS when I write about an Japanese manga I introduce characters LAST NAME FIRST.

Kasumi woke up on the morning of the day she had been waiting for. The day she would (hopefully) turn into a Genin, thus a REAL Kunoichi.

She rolled around and landed on the floor. A habit that just wouldn't stop, something her tailbone constantly reminded her. With the years that had passed, Tsunade's and Shizune's salaries had allowed them to move into a slightly larger house, so they all had their own rooms.

Kasumi's room wasn't what one would expect in a girls room. On the floor books with description of various basic ninjutsu, and few complex healing jutsu were thrown here and there, on her bedside table a bag containing weapons such a shurikens and kunai was laying with it's contents spilling out, (she had improved unrecognizably in both chakra practice and target practice.) her closet was almost empty, having only three different outfits, and one of them was too small anyway, and on the desk which was supposed to be used as a storing place for jewelry several boxes of instant noodles were settled.

As Kasumi was treading lightly over a book describing how to fix a broken wrist with chakra, a jutsu she still wasn't able to do satisfactorily.

Kasumi got dressed in a pair of black pants and a white t-shirt. Then she threw a jacket over, and ran out the door. She skidded to a halt in front of Shizune and did the henge of her in case that was the test, ran out of the door, an old lady asked for help to cross the road and Kasumi made quickly made a clone and ran on. About halfway she saw Sakura jog along whistling something under her breath looking extremely nervous.

"Sakura!" Kasumi shouted cutting out the –chan, now that they both where an hour away from (hopefully) becoming official Kunoichi. Without a word more they walked the rest of the way constantly exchanging henge's along the way so people got confused seeing themselves turn into a kid then turn into someone else.

At one point they had as much as four bunshin's (clones) walk behind them. Kasumi laughed suddenly, and turned back into herself the clones behind her poofed. (Literally.)

"Sakura, we really should stop this, or we'll run out of chakra!" Sakura stopped short in one of her henge's, and nodded, and her clones went poof also.

Once they reached the classroom, that over the years had become so familiar, Kasumi and Sakura sat on the first row. Behind them were Yamanaka Ino, Hyuuga Hinata, and Minori Aimi, three other girls from their class.

Iruka told them the exam would be Bunshin no Jutsu and Kasumi sighed with relief. She was quite good at that. They would be called in one at the time. Having used so much chakra on the way to the school, neither Sakura nor Kasumi practiced but many other class members were making as many clones as possible.

Kasumi was doodling with a kunai, writing 'Kazumi waz here.' With the classic replacing S with Z. Sakura was focusing on taking even breaths and not flipping out of nervousness. Sakura was called in first, and of course passed.

The Kasumi was called. Iruka sensei was sitting with a table full of headbands with the Konoha symbol on it. A swirl with a sort of beak on.

"Kasumi, do a clone for us then." Iruka Sensei said with a smile. Kasumi concentrated, and suddenly there were five Kasumi's. Two were standing on either side of Kasumi, and the two others were making rabbit ears on the other clones.

"Very good! You pass!" Iruka said happily. Mizuki sensei however was standing staring at the wall looking bored.

As Kasumi passed she distinctly heard "…why did his name have to start with a U?" but she didn't take any notice. She received her first forehead protector and she smiled happily. Then walked out of the room.

Iruka frowned slightly. That girl really was a puzzle. Not that she was really that much different from the others, but she always seemed much more mature than the other children. Her vocabulary and knowledge was great even when she was young. But then again, she was the daughter of the only female sannin.

"I did it! I'm a Kunoichi!" Kasumi shouted happily running towards the hospital to inform her mother.

"Mom! Mom! I did it I finally became a ninja! Moooom!" Kasumi skidded to a halt outside her mother's office where Tsunade was sleeping peacefully with her cheek against a report. Kasumi sighed. This was happening more and more often now. Her mother was getting tired. Going in Kasumi placed her mothers coat over her and replaced the report with her own. Then she wrote a note beside Tsunade that she had graduated just fine, and that dinner would be at five. Then she walked home.

Now it was time for the meeting where we were going to get the information she would need as a Kunoichi.

When she had come home it turned out in her anxiety Shizune had baked two cakes one with 'Better luck next time!" and one with "We're so proud of our Kunoichi!" and tried to hide it but by mistake gave her the wrong one. Kasumi found it all just hilarious now that she really had graduated. Tsunade showed up at around four thirty not looking a bit better.

"Mom you really should take a vacation soon…" Kasumi said worrying over the deep bags under her mother's eyes. "What? Oh no sweetie I can't do that, it'll just come up another crisis and I have to go to the hospital anyway. But don't worry today, today is your big day!"

Now Kasumi was sure Tsunade was tired. First, her mother never called her little nicknames like sweetie, she despised it. Second, her mother most usually wasn't that pessimistic.

Kasumi got up. They had finished the cake anyway.

"Go to bed mom and I'll come up with something to make you sleep. I need practice as a medic ninja anyway." Kasumi said smiling. Shizune helped her practically shoving Tsunade into bed and forcefully shoving the pill into her mouth. Two minutes later Tsunade was fast asleep, and Kasumi closed the door, and went into her room.

She went over to her mirror and fastened her new forehead protector around her forehead and nodded. But then she took it of and fastened it to her arm. This seemed quite practical, while when it was on her forehead it slid down. Then she went out to try and practice her stamina by running around in the forest a little.

Btu as stated today was the day for the meeting and Kasumi was practically shaking with excitement for her first mission. This was probably going to be soon.

When she arrived she saw that Uzumaki Naruto was sitting with a large grin. So he had passed? She hadn't waited long enough there to find out she sat on the row in front of him, so she turned around and was about to congratulate him but he looked disgusted and angry for something so she dropped the idea and turned again to face the front. It turned out they would be in a team of three with one sensei until they graduated as chuunins.

Kasumi wasn't thrilled about having to work with two guys who were bound to either be rivals, or despising each other. (A/N well think about it! Neji and Lee are rivals, Naruto and Sasuke are rivals, and Shino and Kiba despise each other, the only ones being okay to each other all of the time is Choji and Shikamaru…)

It turned out she would be in team with Naoko Nori which was a mild quiet boy with slightly long reddish hair, he would be a good team member, but if he was going to be any good in real combat was left to see. Then there was Taro Ryo who was loud and tending to be slightly violent during arguments. His hair was brown- at some point in time. Now he had dyed it a sharp tone of green. He would most definitely be troublesome.

But she didn't envy Sakura her team, sure she got Sasuke all girls hero, but he was going to majorly suck at team work, the same for Naruto whom would just want to show of how strong he was.

Then they went out to eat. Kasumi with Sakura, since she had failed to go with Sasuke and because she had refused Naruto. Poor thing. Then they went back to go with their sensei. They were the second last to leave. While Nori and Kasumi had no problem sitting still waiting for their sensei but Ryo constantly had to get up to do something.

Then their sensei arrived. A female actually. She pointed towards us.

"Come on! This way!" She said happily. Then she turned around and frowned at Sakura's team. I got up waved good bye to Sakura and walked out with my new sensei.

"Now!" she said once we were sitting comfortably dangling our legs out over the cliff with the Hokage's. We were above the second Hokage's now.

"How about some introductions? I'll go first. My name is Kimiko Natsumi, I just turned nineteen, and you are to be my very first Genin team! So you three are for always to be my favorites of course. I like to train and read about ninjutsu and such. I dislike to be called normal or being underestimated. My hobbies include training Taijutsu, mostly stamina, ninjutsu and genjutsu. Ryo will you go next?" Ryo nodded he was hyperactively slamming his heels against the top of the cliff.

"To you three I suppose I'll be Ryo, but I prefer most people to call me Taro. I like to run around making people think I'm one of those noise and no action people, and then surprising them. I rarely get serious. I dislike people who want to play the main part of a drama performance. My hobbies include pranks, training, reading about training, and skipping class."

"Okay Ryo! Well done. Nori, will you go next?" Nori nodded.

"My name is Naoko Nori, I dislike many things, but if I should point out one thing it would be female shinobi. I like and aim for Anbu. My hobbies include writing down all the reasons females should still be staying in the home."

This caused Kasumi to growl slightly and they're sensei to lift an eyebrow while Ryo shrugged, like either way sat fine with him. Kasumi didn't need to be called on as she immidiatley started having really fired up under what Nori had said.

"My new major dislike is Nori's attitude. My biggest ambition is to become the leader of the shinobi medic team. My biggest hobby from now on will be to prove Nori wrong about his sick theories." Kasumi said all the while grinning at Nori.

"Well you are all certainly… interesting. Now get some sleep. We will start our training tomorrow and the day after that we will start our real missions!"

'So it turned out I was wrong. It will be a pleasure to be around Ryo compared to being around Nori. Thank god Natsumi-sensei will be there.

When she got home she told her mother all about her team, and she reacted the same way about Nori's theories, and told her daughter to hit him extra hard on the training.

Later Sakura called and told her all about her team, and that Kakashi sensei had told them not to eat breakfast as they were probably going to throw up.

Worried for her friend she advised her not to eat that night either.

Well! Sorry for the long chapter and late update, but hey, there was really a lot of things that needed to go into this really, really, important chapter!

And hey, I just love Nori, he's the character who is going to get the most ass-kicking and is going to be by far the weakest. He's also got a connection to Kasumi's past! Dun-dun-dun! And by past I mean her father- Ooh exciting!

And I'm soon making my own plot so complicated I can't follow it .;

Well, I hope you enjoyed and that you will review if you have time or at least something to say.

Oh yeah and really, I've got visitors so I got up at five this morning to have time to write this . so I REALLY hope its okay, and if not, I don't have a beta okay!

Beta wanted. Scratch that. Beta BADLY needed.

Nat-tia


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter four: Getting to know my team! Training and missions!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto; I however do own the fascinating aspect of my own dislikes!

AN: I am sorry I have not updated before, but my little brother went rollerblading and fell nastily on his arm, it shattered, and now he has four huge screws in his arm x.x terrible times of chaos… because this is written in a hurry, between making sure my brother doesn't move his arm, shopping for my mom whom broke her wrist three weeks ago, and waiting for dad to come home (sometime tonight thank god) and phone calls from different hospitals checking up on my brother's situation.

Nori is actually based on my brother. I wonder if he got his bad attitude from his name..? My mother decided to call my BROTHER Kim. Not that it's bad, it's just that he got teased a lot being called a girl- poor thing.

IMPORTANT: From this chapter on it will be first person: KASUMI that speaks. It just grew too difficult writing it third person .; I will rewrite the chapters before this one when I finish the story. For now I want to look forewords to new chapters instead of pausing and going back in past chapters.

When I woke up I quickly realized I was about to get late and dressed high speed, took the toast between my teeth and ran out the door trying to tie the Konoha headband around my arm as I ran at top speed towards the top of the Hokage faces.

"SAFE!" I yelled and slid to a stop right in front of my sensei just as my digital watch beeped signalizing that it was exactly 7:00 am.

"Sorry!" I laughed and finally managed to tie the headband around my arm.

"Don't worry you were on time so I won't complain" Natsumi-Sensei said kindly.

"Hmph." Nori was sitting in a tree his legs hanging down. "That's another reason. They never manage to do anything in a short amount of time. They always need hours." Nori was holding a small notebook which he now took down notes in. Then he shoved it into his pocket and jumped down. His knees wiggled slightly but he managed to keep standing thus keeping his pride. For now.

"Well, even if that is true, which it isn't, keep in your little count that Ryo is later than me. And he is male." It was true Ryo was very late. First half an hour after the time he showed up, having mistaken the time, and had thought he had showed up early. Oh joy.

"Well!" Natsumi Sensei said. "Now that we are all here we can start training. Oh yes, and Ryo you might want to color your hair. It would bring attention to you, which won't be good once we start difficult missions." Ryo shrugged. Today his hair was a screaming shade of red.

"Well! For training today I will mostly be testing your abilities. This means your stamina, control, and techniques. Do any of you know any abilities you were NOT taught in the academy?"

It turned out all of us did. Nori had Kaze no jutsu, or wind technique that would send a strong wind towards the opponent forcing them to cover their eyes, thus creating an excellent cover for escape. Ryo had a technique that if he 'marked' us he could immediately tell where we were and if we were hurt. I of course had my healing jutsu. Natsumi sensei nodded. She didn't make a move to tell her what jutsu she was expert over; in fact she wouldn't tell us even when Nori asked.

"Let's just say with that at your age I was five times as powerful as you are now." Natsumi sensei smiled slightly. "In fact when I was twelve I was already chuunin." This information seemed to unnerve Nori. Ryo just shrugged like he already knew. I however had met a six year old hunter Nin; at the time I wasn't more than five myself and asked if I could become a hunter Nin too. He laughed- I don't remember if it was kindly or mocking.

As training that day we were matched up against each other. Natsumi Sensei, Sensing the danger, paired me up with Ryo first so I could blow of some steam, so I wouldn't hurt Nori _too_ much. Ryo was a decent fighter, but he went too much on the offensive, never on the defensive, thus allowing me to make some good hits and knocking him out. Then it was Nori against Ryo. Now there was a fun fight. While Ryo was offensive, Nori was almost only defensive. Nori lost after one direct hit from Ryo. As it turned out I was the best Taijutsu user. For now.

However when we started to practice stamina by running around in a set route, I was much earlier blown than Ryo. While Ryo managed to get in 52 turns around, I was completely exhausted after 46 turns. Nori managed 20. And he was still breathing heavily when Ryo was on his 52nd turn. However it seemed that Ryo had the least control, while Nori exceeded him (barely). However years with medical jutsu had taught me much control of my chakra.

Natsumi sensei seemed pleased when she sent us home. We decided to walk together. Ryo turned out to be quite hilarious when he wanted. Even Nori seemed funnier than annoying now. Nori left first, his family being quite high in the system, thus him living closer to the Hokage quarters.

Mom, Shizune, and me preferred a cute little house more along the edge. Ryo didn't want to tell me where he lived, but he followed me all the way to my house before he turned and went towards a part of the city my mom told me never to go. The 'less rich' parts of the city; the part with the most violence and the least money. For a moment I was worried, but put it at the back of my mind. He probably just turned of on a street before he reached the bad parts.

The next day we had our first mission. It was babysitting twins. It was a nightmare. Nori refused to do any work at all because 'children are women's work.' Ryo tried to help but he held them too hard and in the end I had to do everything myself. Next was dishwashing, where Ryo broke more than washed, and Nori said that washing up was women's work. In the end I was so annoyed with them I sat out during the next mission, walking dogs. Mysteriously Nori ended up with two large ones while I didn't have any and Ryo had a teeny well-behaved one.

For the next months mostly everything ended up like that. Of course I had lots of fun; Ryo, Nori, and I ended somewhat like friends, Nori had almost stopped commenting about female's and then he always ended with '…excluding Kasumi and Natsumi-sensei." And then we couldn't complain so much could we?

Oh and my worries for Ryo was nothing. Ryo is an orphan, but he lives in a small apartment ever since he started at the academy. He also had a small amount of money for food and clothes given to him every month. The way I found this out wasn't exactly fun.

I had seen him go in the same direction every day when we came home from training and missions, and one day I decided to follow. He of course noticed my presence and decided to joke a little with me and went deeper and deeper into the dark streets. Then we were ambushed by a group of men whose goal was to kill us and take whatever amount we had on us. Not that we couldn't handle normal people in a fight; but together we couldn't take more than ten each at the time and here there were at least fifty for each of us.

If Sakura's sensei, what was his name again? Katashi? No Kakashi! Hadn't come, we would be laying dead there. If my mother had found out however the poor men who dared attack me would be lying with their neck snapped.

When we told Natsumi sensei she completely blew up on us. She could rival my mother anytime. Then she went and thanked Kakashi for protecting her 'hopeless' Genin.

Well, lets say they have been 'friends' ever since. No, they are just friends but me and Ryo wanted to get them together- Nori stopped us however. Party pooper. Killjoy.

After what seemed as an eternity of E rank missions Hokage-Sama deemed us ready for our first D-rank mission. D rank missions were mostly missions that are quite easy but go on for a longer amount of time, outside of your own country.

Our mission was simple enough. Lately mist village had sustained some damage under an attack; we were going to help them rebuild the outer parts of their walls and defence works.

As it turns out, Sakura was going on a mission around there too, to watch over a person building a bridge apparently. Fun.

We followed a way from Konoha, but after a few hours we headed toward Mist village while the others continued towards their goal which was about a day running away from our destination.

The building went well enough, and apart from the heavy mist everywhere it was quite fun too. Natsumi sensei even said she was proud of us. We also got a lot of training done, including an exercise of walking on water, which we found fun since Ryo kept falling under. Twice however I had to let myself fall to help him out because he was exhausted, and not the best swimmer around.

When we met up with Sakura's team, team 7 I think, she could tell of an exciting mission with ninja fights, Sasuke and Naruto fighting someone quite above their level, and a little boy named Inari regaining bravery, a little village and a mafia boss. And here I was coming from a fun mission!

When we came home however another surprise was awaiting. The chuunin exam. And I don't think Natsumi sensei is going to recommend us!

A/N: There. I know this chapter was loosely detailed and rushed, but the Chuunin exam and what follows is going to be several chapters.

Nat-tia


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do own my hands. Be happy for that much, because if I didn't, this story wouldn't exist.

Chapter five: Preparations and the first exam!

"Aww Natsumi-Sensei! Come on!" Ryo, usually being the best of us to convince Natsumi-Sensei was failing. Just like I had done. And Nori before me. Sensei just completely ignored our talent, and how we were very much ready to take the Chuunin Exam. This was in one week.

"NO! All three of you, it's not that I doubt you, but you have yet to go on a mission alone! This exam is tough, you could be killed! Kasumi, your Taijutsu is amazing, Ryo, your Ninjutsu is wonderful, and Nori, your Genjutsu is almost fool-proof. In this exam however you will be split up! As a team I wouldn't be worried but one-on-one it something different!" She turned around and stared at us.

She had started to become over protective, ever since our first fight, when she first had to deal with serious wounds on us. I mean it was a reason that a shinobi had a relatively low life expectancy, but still, Nori had recovered! There was nothing but a scar left on my left arm, and Ryo said that the poison just had given his immune system a workout.

Still! Still, Natsumi-Sensei refused us to try to become Chuunins. I had long since come up with a sharp comment on the 'You could be killed' but it would be last resort, since it would most probably hurt our Sensei. After another fifteen minutes I lost my patience.

"We are very aware we could die. We are aware why shinobi have low life expectancies. If we weren't, we wouldn't BE shinobi. For you sticking us in Genin status is like that is like insulting us to our face using pretty words. The Chuunin Exams are just testing our abilities; If we are worthy chuunin status. Its main cause is not to kill us. And we are allowed to back out at any point. Even if we fail the exam, we WILL come back to you alive okay?" Towards the end of my tirade my face softened into a smile.

I knew how Natsumi-Sensei felt. Of course I did! Hell, these people were dear to me. Not just Nori and Ryo, but all the friends I had acquired over the years; Sakura, Hinata, Ino to some extent, and Ami. (To see who Ami is refer back to Chapter Three. She is going to have a major part later on.)

In the end I got my way. Or I should say 'we' got our way, because Nori and Ryo had their fair share in everything too.

Natsumi-Sensei had recommended us but warned us that if we died, she would personally come to afterlife pull us painfully back to life, and then torture us some more, before killing us again.

"Remind me never to die…" Nori muttered to Ryo and me.

We chuckled simultaneously. Ryo and I had begun to do that now. Saying things at the same time, finding the words the other couldn't, even finishing each other's sentences. People had started to call us twins. Hadn't it been for our radically different looks strangers would really think we were twins. Over the months, well it was more like a year now; Ryo had colored his hair five times. From red to orange to blue, to green. For now he had bright purple hair and had taken a gold earring in his left ear. It suited him somewhat, but Natsumi-Sensei had refused for him to keep the hoop.

"If it gets caught in something during combat, it would rip open your earlobe." She lectured him. Ryo, who could stand and walk almost normally after taking a kunai in the gut, obviously did not find the idea of getting his earlobe ripped open appetizing. He fainted. After that he has worn a stud-like earring, which was Natsumi-Sensei's gift to him on his thirteenth birthday. It was a shuriken shaped, with a blue stone in the middle.

I myself had refused to get earrings. I just did not find the idea attractive. Not to say I didn't get some. Now it is one of my fondest memories, Nori holding onto my legs, Ryo my arms, and Natsumi-Sensei my head, while the poor woman stood with the needle trying to get even holes in each of my ears. I remember she had the most extraordinary length of hair. The earring-hole-making-woman, that is. Honey brown and down to the floor, even with the fancy knot on top of her head.

Ryo, Nori and I had also noticed something interesting while we had been walking lazily about Konoha on one of our rare days off. Natsumi-Sensei was actually socializing with another Jounin. That is a feat of its own, seeing Natsumi-Sensei's time was carefully sheared between us and missions. However she was talking to Kakashi. Well, yelling is more like it. We only caught tidbits, but it was enough to make us laugh.

"…Always with that perverted book of yours … In front of your students no less… maturity level at 0... What if your dirty ways transfer to the children?" and so on. Quite amusing really.

However in this time, as my relations with Natsumi-Sensei, Ryo, and Nori had improved significantly, the level of communication with Sakura and the other girls had dropped. I hardly have time to talk to my own mother anymore either. Speaking of which, these days Shizune and Mom had started to pack a little here and there, thinking I wouldn't notice. Well they would have a good vacation if they went.

The training had also increased significantly. So had our weights. We all wore weights. Mine were twice as heavy as the others, though since I specialized in Taijutsu. The weights were hidden, the ones on the legs by my pants obviously, the ones on my hands under gloves and sweat bands, all according to season. The one around my neck however, came in a necklace, a simple leather string with a blue stone like a egg, and within it was a material Natsumi-Sensei refused to name that was extremely heavy. All three had that one. It took a while to understand why we needed weights around the neck.

Natsumi sensei told us after a week, when we had started to get used to the weight.

Flashback: Five months and two days.

"_Natsumi-Sensei! Why do we need weights around the neck?" I asked with a somewhat pissed expression. My neck was aching like crazy. _

"_It is not a weight Kasumi." She said seriously._

"_Here!" she pulled out her own egg like necklace. However hers was glowing slightly. _

"_Gather chakra in this. Whatever chakra you have left after a day, gather it right before you go to sleep. You are to use this chakra only in EMERGENCY situations. Understand? You too Nori and Ryo. You may come down now." She said tilting her head to look up in the tree Ryo and Nori were hiding in. They nodded and so did I. Then Nori asked the obvious._

"_What is the effect of this stored chakra then?"_

End Flashback.

I gripped my necklace as I walked along, on my way home and grinned. 'Yes,' I thought. 'I'm ready for this.'

The day we, bein me, Nori, and Ryo, arrived at the entrance to the academy, where we had to officially 'enter' the Chuunin Exam; we spotted Natsumi-Sensei pacing back and forth. As she spotted us she nodded.

"Good luck. My threat still stands. Return alive. Ryo I n-need to speak to you for a s-second." I almost laughed. Our sensei was more nervous than her students. Nori shrugged and pushed me, who was trying to listen in on Sensei and Ryo's conversation through the door. The sadly, sound proof door. I glared at him.

A few minutes later Ryo entered looking ten times happier. He was even whistling. As we were nearing the classroom where we had to turn in our applications, Nori froze for a millisecond before continuing up the stairs.

"You guys felt it too?" He said almost soundlessly, and we didn't even bother to nod. We had just entered a Genjutsu. As I stuck my head through the doorway I saw a whole lot of people gathering at the end of the hall, obviously fooled by the Genjutsu.

"Um, guys? Shouldn't we tell them…?" I didn't get longer, as I saw who was approaching from the cluster of people.

"Sakura-Chan!" I shouted happily, waving. Sakura was holding the hands of Sasuke and Naruto wearing a happy face. It always felt nice when Sakura was in a good mood. She really knew the art of lightening up a room. Or in this case, a corridor.

"Kasumi!" She answered and held up a hand, letting go of Naruto's, to wave back. I smiled. Either the people down there was going to fail for not giving in the applications, due to one of Sakura's Genjutsu, or they had just been warned, and were most likely thankful.

Ryo grew impatient and dragged me by the wrist the rest of the way. Afterwards we entered a room full of other Genin, (hopefully) soon Chuunin. I went down to the front of the classroom and sat down on the last available sitting spot on the front. I crossed my arms and legs and looked around the room. I noted the other Konoha Genin there and a smile crossed my face as I waved to Hinata. She was with her team and heading towards Sakura's team which were being noisy in the back. She raised her hand shyly.

"Idiots." I said lowly. Nori had sat down on the table in front of me, facing Ryo whom was standing next to me. They both nodded. The other Genin were starting to get annoyed, and if they didn't shut their trap soon, they would be attacked. They were too, but the one taking the blow was a boy I couldn't see because I guy from Suna was blocking my view with a bandaged object he was carrying. Some hair was sticking up from an opening.

My first reaction was the obvious one. 'Aww he plays with dollies'. Then the serious one. I had it from Natsumi-Sensei that objects could cover the weak points of a user, thus making it more troublesome to defeat the person.

Otherwise I was sizing up the people I was going to fight against. After finding out who to be afraid of I listed who I would be able to beat.

I found the first list much larger than the second. For a moment I was unsure of in which I should place Sakura. Sure, her Taijutsu was weak, but her Genjutsu could be strong as hell, and her IQ far exceeded mine.

At last an examiner appeared, giving the people in the back a speech. He presented himself as Morino Ibiki. The first exam was going to be a paper test. Oh joy. I whispered to Ryo that if he failed, he should prepare to die. Then we had to pick a piece of paper with a number. I ended up almost at the left end of the third row from the back. On one side was a blond girl from Suna, who looked like she had stuck her finger in an electric socket. On the right was a guy from leaf, in disgusting green spandex. Even I had to react to bad fashion taste. Ryo ended a row behind Naruto and Hinata. Nori was beside Sakura. We were spread completely. On every row on either side, chuunin were placed to monitor us. We were explained the rules, which I did notice encouraged cheating.

After a few moments of consideration I realized the questions were pass what a Genin could answer. Thus they had placed someone with the answers somewhere. Which means answers would be spread in a matter of minutes. I leaned back to take a little nap and wait for the person beside me to finish. Soon names were called out. Some just left while others fought for their right to stay.

When there was fifteen minutes left, I sat up and smiled. Time for action. I looked around. I noticed the mirrors in the ceiling. A girl called from Kohona, but not from one of the Rookie Teams, were directing mirrors for someone else around most probably the guy next to me. This sat fine with me as I saw her paper, thus the answer. The guy next to me had a better view but I could see four of the five questions which meant I wouldn't fail.

I copied them down, wrote my name and leaned back. This left the guy left for the person behind me full view of the answers his pencil started scratch desperately and I leaned forwards when I heard the poor guy finish one of the questions.

By now over half of the people there had been failed. None of the other Rookies had, I couldn't help but notice.

Soon came the time for the tenth question. I was shocked. Never be a Chuunin? But I kept my arm stubbornly down. I knew Ryo would the same but Nori… I looked towards him. He was struggling, that I noticed.

Not too far away the jounin teachers were sitting around waiting for the exam to finish. Asuma and Kakashi were talking gravely about the examiner called Morino Ibiki.

"Kurenai, Natsumi, you two are new jounin, you wouldn't know… but Morino Ibiki is skilled in interrogation and torture, a pro actually, in both physical and mental interrogation and torture. Right now I expect the kids are going through his skills of interrogation."

Natsumi got up and started to pace a disturbed expression on her face. Kakashi couldn't help but notice she was playing around with an egg shaped necklace.

"Natsumi…" Kurenai started and looked worried upon her best friend.

"I'm sure our students are fine! Knowing you, you have probably warned them and trained them for anything and everything that will come up on this exam." Kurenai said. Not that Kurenai wasn't worried herself, but her team was strong.

Natsumi sat down but started fidgeting.

Suddenly I saw Naruto start to lift his hand. Oh no… I closed my eyes a second, not wanting to see his expression. What I heard however, was his hand slamming down, and him giving the examiner a speech on how he never gave up, as that was his way of the ninja. I smiled. Naruto seemed to have grown, if not in maturity, in personality.

This seemed to lighten Nori several fold. I breathed out and silently thanked Naruto's noisiness.

"Now for you left:" Morino Ibiki started, everyone took a deep breath:

"You pass!"

After that all went in a blur of happiness. Of course there were a few arguments about this exam, and it became obvious it was the work of a genius. Then he showed us his head which made me instantly lose any appetite I had. Screw holes, burn marks, deep scars after gashes, and all the result of torture. Apparently this guy knew what he was talking about.

Suddenly the windows were crashed; a huge banner was pinned to the floor with kunai. In front was a woman in a ridiculously short skirt, and with a netting top, with a huge coat over. Her hair was sat up in a fashion that would make even Shizune lift an eyebrow.

"I am Mitarashi Anko! Your next examiner! Everyone follow me!" Morino Ibiki poked his head out behind the banner and muttered something that sounded like "bad timing."

Anko looked distastefully at him. "You showed them your head, didn't you." It was more of a statement than a question, so he refrained from answering. Anko counted us, and told Ibiki he was losing his grip, since there were so many left.

Turns out this crazy woman was our next examiner. Hallelujah.


End file.
